Tuesday, June 10, 2008

This is a gag suggested by my friend, Phil Witte. People suggest ideas to me all the time, 90% of which are puns. I like puns, but only when they are somehow surprising and fresh, as I think this one is. People groan at puns when they feel they could have thought of it themselves. You can only get away with puns when they are completely unexpected.

In my opinion, the contrast between the serious nature of the political issue and the foolishness of the pun makes this one work. Also, who among us has not known (and will one day be) an addled elderly person not quite clear on the concept?

Peter is seen at a Free Tibet rally at which he says to a protestor "I'll take it", he then calls China saying "I have something you may want, but it's going to cost you. That's right, all the tea" referring to the expression "Not for all the tea in China."

A good one and one that was used in the sixties by British cartoonist Mel Calman, (He of the wonderfully simple pencil line)He showed an irate feminist brandishing a sign reading ''Free women Now!'' and an innocent looking bystander asking if he could have one?

Yes, this is definitely one of those ideas that a lot of people get independently. I remember musing about the fact that Michael Jackson did the music for the movie "Free Willy." I couldn't do a cartoon about it in Bizarro, of course, because pedophilia is one of those subjects editors don't like to see in the funnies.